(Image Credit: Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum)
(Image Credit: Trustees of the Royal Air Force Museum)
The lift had began last Sunday but deteriorating weather conditions forced the abortion of the operation partway through and over the course of the past month, weather conditions have been so rough that the lifting barge had to return to port four times. Complications with the seabed, compounded by the limited time to work caused by the weather forced the salvage team to proceed without the support frame that was originally envisaged, but though a few parts of the plane did fall off during it’s trip to the surface, on the whole the plane remained intact and dropped parts will be retrieved separately for their reunion with the aircraft. All in all this salvage operation must be considered an unmitigated triumph for the RAF Museum and aviation enthusiasts the world-over.
The Do 17 will be heading to a specially built enclosure for an 18-month acid bath to halt corrosion before its restoration for display. Clearly there’s a lot of work ahead. Stay tuned!